Hit stats for today were nearly double the previous highs. Not sure how I feel about that. A little controversy draws a crowd I guess. Anyway, at least a lot of new visitors poked around the older stuff that I felt better about posting, welcome to them. My intention is to see this town hall controversy through to the election, then, we will be through the winter and I’ll be able to quantify how well the air-source heat pump worked (btw/great through today, about 5 gallons of oil so far in Dec.)

No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up.
Lilly Tomlin

I just discovered this blog. Although I respect a lot of things that David Bowers has done, I am confused as to his arguments regarding Brewster Hall as the Historic Town Hall of Wolfeboro. I wondered why a town hall would have a large group of store fronts facing the main street. I went to the three volume history of Wolfeboro, written by the same David Bowers. On page 71 of The History of Wolfeboro, NH 1770-1994. I quote the following from Page 71 which reports on the will of Mrl Brewster.

“—-held by my trustees forever for the use and benitfit of the inhabitants of the kTown of Wolfeborough as and for the town as a public library. The stores and such buildings on the lower floor shall be rented by my trustees and th rent income over and above the expenses and charges there from used and appropriate for the necessary care and repairs of the said building and for the care, support and purchase of books for said public library to be in said building”

I will not bother to quote Mr. Bowers on the following, but refer the interested reader to Volume 2 Page 37 of the same books. He mentions that numerous private businesses were situated in the building during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; that in 1901, there were 4 store facilities form lest to right on the ground floor: jewelry store, gsrocer, furniturestore and vacant. The town library was located in the rear; and for many years there was a theater on the second floor known as the Memorial Theater and other similar names.that had a capacity of 385.

Lastly, I will repeat his quote from the Granite State News of March 6, 1959 (I wonder if the current editor would ever publish this earlier statement from his paper. “The place that is designated as Brewsteer Memorial Hall is not the Town Hall. Wolfeboro does not own a Town Hall. It rents the auditorium of Brewster Memorial Hall for public meetings authorized by the Selectmen and the offices occuied by town officials on the groun floor:”